The people of Silwan welcomed home released Palestinian prisoner Imad al-Abassi this week, with a host of activities taking place within Silwan and around the country. Al-Abassi has just served a 10-year sentence in multiple Israeli prisons after being charged on 2002 with firing a gun at an Israeli police station in Jerusalem and at an Israeli settlement in Ein Silwan which was a police station, later came under control of Israeli settlement organization Elad as part of a deal.

Al-Abassi was welcomed by the people of Silwan in a series of ceremonies: on Mukabber Mount, at the entrance to Ein Aluza , and near his family home. The final ceremony was marred by a settler security guard attempting to disrupt the celebration by driving their Jeep through the proceedings. Young men threw stones at the Jeep, breaking the windowpane and fixing a Fatah flag to the car.

The settler guard remains uncharged by police for his actions, despite the fact that Palestinian committing a similar crime would have received the maximum penalties.